


love's weird

by lonelydoctors



Series: idiots in love (sanji and zoro are inevitable) [17]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drunken Confessions, Drunkenness, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Idiots in Love, If you know where to look - Freeform, Internalized Homophobia, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Pining Vinsmoke Sanji, Pre-Relationship, Usopp is a great friend, also i put an easter egg in this, nami and zoro already had the talk, sanji and usopp have the talk, so it's time for usopp and sanji to talk about the elephant in the room, tell me if you know what i mean!, which is zoro in this case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 09:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20079952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonelydoctors/pseuds/lonelydoctors
Summary: “Figured as much. You two really are some weird kind of soulmates.” He drains the rest of his wine and quickly scrambles up to get another drink before he has time to think about it.The tips of Sanji’s ears turn red and he hides his face behind his hair as he sputters, “We’re not soulmates. He probably doesn’t even like me!” Usopp has to grin at Sanji’s high pitched voice and tuts, “Oh, believe me, he does.”





	love's weird

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone!  

>
>> i’m back with another story. life's been really stressful recently so i haven't really had the time to write – still, I managed to finally write this one which I meant to do ever since i wrote _[love's shit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19524112)_ (it can be seen as a companion piece to that one, but you can also read it as a standalone, of course)

“You want some?”

Usopp comes sauntering into the kitchen, his voice startling the blond Cook who’s sitting at the table, deep in thought. Sanji blinks up at Usopp who grins at him with flushed cheeks and a bottle of wine in his hands. “Yeah, sure, why not,” he replies and smiles at Usopp, motioning for him to take a seat.

Usopp gladly accepts and plops down next to Sanji, placing the bottle of wine between them on the table. “That was quite a party, wasn’t it?” he asks and Sanji reaches for the bottle and puts it to his lips. He hums in agreement before taking a few sips and setting it back down. The alcohol mixes with the taste of smoke in his mouth and stings as it runs down his throat. The burning sensation feels good and is exactly what Sanji needs right now, so he reaches for the bottle again, this time downing more than half of it in one go. “Bad mood?” Usopp comments and watches Sanji from the side, his brows furrowed.

“Why would I be?” Sanji replies, the flippant tone of his voice contradicting his words. Usopp grins but can’t help but notice the dark bags under Sanji's eyes like he spends his nights doing anything _but_ sleep. He takes the bottle out of Sanji’s hand and finishes it. “Just a hunch,” is what he says after setting the now empty bottle down and pushing his chair back in order to rummage through the kitchen for a refill.

When he finds two more bottles of wine, he turns around and is faced with an unmoving Sanji. His eyes are fixed upon something on deck, a scowl gracing his features and his chest rising and falling with irregular breaths. Usopp presses his mouth into a thin line before he pulls himself together and takes a few swift steps to sit down at the table again. He passes one bottle to Sanji and as he follows the Cook's gaze and looks outside, he’s not the least bit surprised to find Zoro standing in front of the window. Sanji’s so wrapped up in his thoughts that he doesn’t even notice that Usopp sat down again, let alone that he caught him the act, so to speak, so Usopp nudges him lightly in the side and gestures to the new bottle in front of the Cook.

Sanji blinks confusedly at the bottle before he turns to Usopp and smiles at him, the soft curve of his lips causing his nose to scrunch up the tiniest bit. “Thanks, Usopp,” he says and reaches for the alcohol. “I didn’t drink nearly enough today.” He doesn’t elaborate further but it doesn’t matter because there’s no need to anyway. Usopp takes a sip and ponders quietly for a few minutes as he watches Zoro from the kitchen. He has his back turned towards the window, gleefully chatting with Nami, a bottle of beer in his hands and his bandana wrapped around his head. The faint sway of his body and the boisterous tone of his voice as he yells about booze make it obvious that he’s more than a little tipsy and Sanji huffs in annoyance as Zoro almost drops his bottle in an attempt to get rid of his bandana. Usopp turns his head back around and is not surprised to find Sanji smiling, despite his wordless commentary before. By now, the Cook is basically a walking contradiction.

“You love him, don’t you?”

It’s really more of a statement than an actual question but Usopp holds his breath anyway as he observes the blond Cook and waits for his reaction, already knowing the answer anyway.

For a while, Sanji doesn’t say anything and merely gazes down, keeping his eyes fixed upon the table, as his hands clutch the bottle tightly and Usopp eventually averts his eyes because it’s easier. At last, Sanji takes a deep breath and lifts his head, his gaze darting over to Zoro who’s still standing in front of the window for the briefest of seconds, before resting upon Usopp. He’s not sure if it’s the bottles of wine in his body or the fact that he trusts Usopp the most out of all the others, but he hears himself answer, “I’m not saying I’m gay.” Usopp’s eyes snap back to the Cook and he tilts his head in confusion, waiting for the him to continue. Sanji squeezes his eyes shut and grips the bottle harder, like he’s bracing himself for his next words. “But I would be if he’s asking.”

Both Sanji and Usopp deflate at that, tension leaving their bodies, like having it confirmed out loud freed them of some kind of strings that were holding them in place, and while Usopp falls, Sanji soars. The Cook never had the courage to even admit it to himself and he knows it’s only half of the truth but it’s better than nothing and at least _he said it now_ and while that makes it all the more frightening, it also feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Usopp forces a grin and lifts his bottle to his lips. “Figured as much. You two really are some weird kind of soulmates.” He drains the rest of his wine and quickly scrambles up to get another drink before he has time to think about it.

The tips of Sanji’s ears turn red and he hides his face behind his hair as he sputters, “We’re not soulmates. He probably doesn't even like me!” Usopp has to grin at Sanji’s high pitched voice and tuts, “Oh, believe me, he does.”

The Cook’s embarrassed and flustered expression is replaced by an incredulous one as he looks at Usopp in bewilderment, before he has to laugh, too, Usopp's grin infecting him. “What are you, some kind of love expert?” he asks jokingly and Usopp takes his seat again, fresh bottle of wine in hands. “I wish,” comes the sarcastic response and they lapse back into silence, each sipping from their own drink.

It’s Sanji who breaks the comfortable silence this time, suddenly almost eager to talk about those weird feelings inside of him. “It’s not supposed to be like that,” he mumbles, expression solemn and thoughtful. “I like women.” Usopp glances at him out of the corner of his eye, not sure how to reply. Luckily, the Cook goes on, “Why can’t I just be normal, like you?” It’s a silly question and he doesn’t really expect an answer, but the statement still pierces through Usopp like a dagger and leaves a stinging sensation behind as he sets his bottle down to look at Sanji. “Not everybody can be like the Great Usopp!” is what he declares proudly instead and strikes a stupid pose, immensely pleased with the way the Cook rolls his eyes and huffs in badly concealed amusement.

“We hate each other… I don’t even know when I no longer did.”

The mood changes abruptly as Sanji starts speaking again and Usopp’s pose falters. “What am I supposed to do with that love, Usopp? It’s wrong and stupid and I hate it.” The Cook’s voice is barely above a whisper now and Usopp has to strain his ears in order to hear him. Usopp is very aware of the fact that he’s the one who started this conversation, yet he finds himself unable to give Sanji the answers he wants to hear. “It’s not wrong if it’s love,” he points out and pauses before he adds, “Honestly, you should just tell him, Sanji.”

“I’m not gay…” the Cook repeats his earlier sentence and stops. “I’m not gay, but now I might be. And it’s all that idiot’s fault.” Usopp bites down on his lip and he sees the realisation eating away at Sanji, his whole beliefs and world being turned upside down, but he knows it’ll be fine in the end. They’ll figure it out, Zoro and him, and, given time, Sanji will come to terms with it. He believes that, he really does, yet he just sits there and stares at the Cook, not a single one of those thoughts making it past his lips.

Sanji meanwhile fumbles in his back pocket for a cigarette and lights it with shaky fingers as he laughs bitterly, “Love’s really weird like that, huh?” Usopp smiles wistfully, eyes fixed on the Cook’s delicate fingers holding his cigarette and the way his eyes shine as he looks out at Zoro. He swallows thickly and clutches his bottle of wine as he forces his alcohol induced-mind to tear his gaze away from Sanji.

“Yeah, love’s weird like that,” he agrees quietly and decides to down his whole remaining drink, an attempt to drown out the thoughts in his mind.

**Author's Note:**

> leave me a comment, maybe?  
you can also find me on [tumblr](https://lonelydoctors.tumblr.com), I love talking to you!


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